Spectrometers and monochromators are known which accept a beam of spectroscopic electromagnetic radiation and disperse it into a spatially expanded spectrum of wavelengths which are individually monitored. It is also known to direct a beam of electromagnetic radiation onto a surface area of a sample and then image electromagnetic radiation reflecting from different locations of the sample by an array of detectors, such as by use of an imaging ellipsometer or the like system. It is further known that chopping beams can provide benefits.
Further, Digital Light Processors (DLP) are known and have been applied to modulate homogeneous light applied thereto and generate images thereby, however, DLP's are not believed to have been applied to, for instance, process images projected thereonto, such as those produced by incident electromagnetic radiation reflecting from a sample in systems such as ellipsometers, polarimeters, reflectometers spectrophotometers or the like which typically apply detectors with a multiplicity of detector elements, such as charge coupled devices (CCD's).
U.S. Patents which have been identified are:
U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,126,682; 7,265,766; 7,262,817; 7,252,395; 7,236,150; 7,233,427; 7,196,740; 7,194,169; 7,187,484; 7,164,397; 7,158,180; 7,149,027; 7,116,459; 7,088,486; 7,075,643; 7,072,094; 7,061,512; 7,019,881; 7,011,415; 7,006,995; 6,975,629; 6,965,470; 6,691,194; 6,937,382; 6,930,983; 6,906,852; 6,906,687; 6,870,660; 6,857,751; 6,856,446; 6,842,549; 6,781,094; 6,758,571; 6,741,503; 6,665,110; 6,654,516; 6,619,804; 6,618,186; 6,583,921; 6,558,006; 6,496,477; 6,459,425; 6,398,389; 6,298,370; 6,275,271; 6,259,153, 6,200,646, 6,179,489; 6,163,363, 6,105,119; 6,061,049; 5,932,119; 5,909,559; 5,658,559; 5,658,063; 4,114,366.
Published US Applications which have been identified are:
US2005/001820; US2006/0220562; US2005/0079386; US2002/0024640; US2003/0143131; US2004/0023368; US2002/0081582; US2003/0138363; US2006/019757; US2004/0035690; US2003/0020703; US2006/0197757; US2004/0159641; US2003/0186427; US2003/0019852; US2002/0041420; US2003/0003032; US2001/0010843; US2005/0251230; US2005/0213092; US2006/0134669; US2002/0171834; US2003/0054388; US2006/0028718; US2003/062802; US2003/062802; US1999/041007; US2006/096310; US2005/030470; US2004/008115; US1999/010866; US1997/025177; US1999/063385; US2001/014460; US2005/030328; US2005/031292; US2002/084238.
Published Foreign Applications which have been identified are:
EP1070823; EP1258288; EP00916981. It is mentioned that the 981 EP Patent describes sequential spectrometer followed by an imager. The parent application Ser. No. 12/002,650, of this Application, Claims a sequential imager followed by an imager.
Finally, as described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,567,345 to Liphardt et al., (incorporated by reference herein), it is known to provide cameras which are designed so that the “Scheimpflug” condition is substantially met to enable providing an image to a film which is in focus over a large film area even though the source of the image is spatially distributed over varying distances from the camera lens. A similar condition can be achieved in reflectometer, ellipsometer, polarizer or the like systems. To meet this condition in use, the source of a beam of electromagnetic radiation is caused to direct a beam of electromagnetic radiation to or from a sample along an oblique angle of incidence. Said beam approaches said focusing means along a locus which is substantially perpendicular to the plane thereof and then passes through said focusing means and impinges upon a sample placed on said stage for supporting a sample, or a detector, at an angle of incidence (β) with respect to a normal to a surface of said sample.
What is new, novel and non-obvious is:                to apply digital light processors (DLP) to the end that images corresponding to a sequential multiplicity of regions on a sample are imaged onto a DLP, which images are then sequentially monitored by at least one detector element, sequential output from which is then interpreted or as corresponding to the corresponding locations on a sample surface;        to apply digital light processors (DLP) in systems such an imaging ellipsometer or imaging polarimeter and the like imaging systems;        applying the Scheimpflug condition on the detector side of an imaged sample.        